Sa US, in 2001, Barna Research revealed some significant trends in giving:

Compared to 1999, the mean per capita donation to churches dropped by 19 percent in 2000.

Among born-again adults, there was a 44 percent rise in those who gave nothing.

The number of donors to any nonprofit or church organization declined by 7 percent.

Four out of every ten adults gave nothing to churches . . . a rise of 15 percent among those refusing to support churches.

One-third of born-again adults said they gave tithe in

2000, but a comparison of their giving versus their household income revealed that only one out of eight actually did.

“”Americans who earn less than $10,000 gave 2.3 percent of their income to religious organizations,” Smith, Emerson, and Snell write, “whereas those who earn $70,000 or more gave only 1.2 percent.” While the actual percentages are slightly higher for Christians who regularly attend church, the pattern is similar. Households of committed Christians making less than $12,500 per year give away roughly 7 percent of their income, a figure no other income bracket beats until incomes rise above $90,000 (they give away 8.8 percent).

In fact, in absolute terms, the poorest Christians give away more dollars than all but the wealthiest Christians.”

Alam natin itong story na ito. Mark 12:41-44

And according to tithing.com: Widows and widowers are some of the biggest tithers, with 17.6% giving 10% or more of their income to the church, compared to 8.6% of non-widowed people.

Tithe 1 and 2 are forever. And then number 3 is collected every 3rd year. So every year they actually give to the Lord roughly 23% of what they earn. Which is less than what we pay sa taxes natin. So the practice of tithing is stated by God in the Old Testament. And histroy will indicate that the Egyptians, Chaldeans, Assyrians all tithed to their gods.

Ito siguro ang baguhin nating perspective about giving back to the Lord. What can you give that He has not given?

May ibang nagtuturo that Tithing is taught in the age of law which is the Old Testament, at tayo ngayon na nasa New Testament church, we live in the the age of grace. And Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law that’s why the law has no more effect on us. In fact sa New Testament, the word tithing is only used once by Jesus in Mark 12, the passage na binasa natin kanina. But the rest of the passages in the NT speak about giving not really tithing. In the Old testament they were required by law, but now Jesus saved us by His grace. Kaya if you are saved by Grace through faith, you should also give.

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER – THE FIRST BILLIONAIRE: The very first person to reach the status of billionaire was a man who knew how to set goals and follow through. At the age of 23, he had become a millionaire, by the age of 50 a billionaire. Every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth. But three years later at the age of 53 he became ill. His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all the hair on his head. In complete agony, the world’s only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest milk and crackers. An associate wrote, “He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him.” His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. That year passed agonizingly slow. As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague remembrances of a dream. He could barely recall the dream but knew it had something to do with not being able to take any of his successes with him into the next world. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in in control of his own life. He was left with a choice. He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his assets to hospitals, research, and mission work. On that day John D. Rockefeller established his foundation. This new direction eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for current strains of malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria. The list of discoveries resulting from his choice is enormous. But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better. It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be 98. Rockefeller learned gratitude and gave back from his wealth. Doing so made him whole. It is one thing to be healed it is another to be made whole.

Tithing isn’t the ceiling of giving; it’s the floor. It’s not the finish line of giving; it’s just the starting blocks. Alcorn

And both prayer and Bible reading involves a common thing. The use of words. Naiintindihan niyo akong lahat ngayon because of the use of words. Naririnig niyo ako. Ako naman nagsasalita through words na natutunan natin sa paaralan at sa mga pamilya natin habang lumalaki. We worship God through words in song kagaya kanina. We evangelize through words. We came to know Christ by hearing words. And in words, the Bible came to us. We as humans, came to the world by the word from God. God spoke a word, the world was created. Our salvation is the word that became flesh.–Jesus Christ.

Reading the Bible shows us God’s character. The Bible is our definitive source for the answers to our questions about God.

Pumapayag ba ang Panginoon sa homosexuality? Ok lang kaya na maging girlfriend or boyfriend ko ay hindi Kristyano? The Bible has that answer. Kung tingin mo pinabayaan ka ng Diyos, kung tingin mo ay hindi sinasagot ng Panginoon mga dalangin mo, read the Bible. Because it shows us who God is. And the more we know who God is, the more we have confidence on what He can do. And we can know Him in truth through His Word.

Sabi sa 2 Cor 3:17-4:4

What are these characteristics of God? Just a few:

Infinite – he is not limited by anything

Self-existent – walang gumawa sa kanya. He exists within himself not for anyone

The more we dwell on His Word, the less we sin. Why? Because of numbers 1 to 3. We know more who God is. Alam natin na ung dating parang wala lang sa atin ay kasalanan pala according to His word. Siguro kayo mismo na-eexperience niyo to. Kasi minsan kumpleto kayo sa pagbabasa ng Bible sa devotion. Nasa spiritual high kayo, you would not want to sin. Of course hindi ka perfect so you will still sin. Pero because you are so filled with the spirit through reading and studying His word, hinahanap hanap mo yung time mo with God at hindi mo na hinahanap-hanap yung kasalanan.

Reading the Bible is how we learn about the gospel.

John 5:39-40

Sinasabi ni Jesus dito sa passage na ito, kayong mga Hudyong naghuhusga sa akin, naghahanap kayo ng kaligtasan, alam na alam niyo ung mga prophecy, pero ako yung sinasabi ng mga prophecy na yon. During their time, mas naunang nalaman ng mga Hudyo na may darating. Tayo ngayon mas nauna nating nalaman yung dumatin–which is Jesus. The center of the gospel is Jesus. The gospel is Jesus. At hindi natin malalaman na kailangan pala natin yung gospel, na kailangan pala natin maligtas kung hindi natin alam from the Bible. For all have sinned. After death, judgement. Sin brought us to the point of death. But Christ brings us to the point of righteousness and life. May ilang beses ko na din prineach ito. We cannot know the gospel, we cannot share the gospel if we do not know where it is from. At very important that we read and study the Bible para malaman natin ang salvation na galing sa Panginoon.

Reading the Bible gives us courage.

Joshua 1:6:8

This is a passage na very familiar to us ngayon esepecially nung sinimulan natin ang ating daily devotion. And God was speaking to Joshua here. Si Moses na siya dapat magllead sa Israelites to the promised land, was taken by the Lord. So si Joshua had to step up. Syempre bata. Syempre takot. I can relate to him very much simula last year. Nagkaroon ako ng responsibilidad dito sa church. And ang sabi nga ng Panginoon, do what the law says. Do what I told Moses. Gawin mo yung sinasabi ng aking salita. Ano nga ba sabi ni Lord?

Have courage

Do the word carefully

Do not twist the word

Which makes us believe today that if we follow the Bible, we can have courage. And if we twist what the Bible says, we live in fear. Kaya we also have to be careful kasi baka kung san-san tayo naniniwala. Hindi porket galing sa Bible yung verse ay tama. Madaming naglipanang mga sikat ng preacher sa US na im sure pinapakinggan niyo sa youtube and facebook. Naiinsipire kayo, pero mali mali naman sinasabi. Magiingat tayo don.

Reading the Bible helps us to be fruitful.

Ps 1:2-3

This psalm na siguro ay nabasa niyo 2 weeks ago sa ating daily devotion, speaks about a person who does not just read, but also meditates on the word day and night. Anong sabi?

You will be firm

Kahit anong bagyo ang dumaan sayo, kahit anong pagsubok, if you are firm in the word of God, you are firm. Magiging ok ka.

You will prosper

Mamumunga ka. The more we are immersed in the word the more we are filled with the spirit. And it also says that in whatever you do, you will prosper. Naka encounter na ba kayo ng tao na alam mong spirit filled. Alam mong nagbabasa at nagppray, diba kalmado siya most of the time? Diba parang totoo na kahit anong gawin niya, parang ang galing niya? And this is true. And this is from meditating on God;s word

Prayer is not grocery shopping. Prayer is talking to God. Plainly just speaking, not just asking. And we are taught in the word and the example of Jesus the importance of prayer. Si Jesus ang nagsabi ng Lord’s prayer. He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed habang naka-pako sa cross. So it is important. And here we have 7 reasons to pray

At minsan ganon din ang Panginoon. We build this relationship and this closenss sa kanya whenever we pray, not just ask. When we talk to him at hindi lang mag request.

Helps Us Overcome Temptation

Luke 22:39-41

Ito yung example ni Jesus in the garden of gethsemane. Sabi niya sa disciples niya: mag pray kayo para hindi kayo ma tempt! And true enough that when we pray, we automatically have this connection to God at pwede nating sabihin, Lord help me with this. Lord lead me not into temptatation. Lord help me to get out of this temptation.

In the passage sabi ni Jesus sa mga disciple niya, I can do something greater for I am with the Father. And before He left ano ba ang ginagawa ni Hesus? He healed the sick, he made the blind see, he transformed hearts to believe in God. At sinabi niya ask, and I will do the same kahit na wala na ako. So in prayer, in our prayer especially for the expansion of God’s kingdom here on earth, it accomplishes God’s work because we rely in Him to work, not us. But Him. Kaya very important para sa akin na we pray, before we start ministry, before I sing, before I preach, before I start on my preaching. Sabi ng isang prof ko, na pag gumagawa daw kami ng preaching namin, 3 things daw dapat namin gawin–before we start pray…..during…pray… after…. Pray. Gusto natin na sa lahat ng bagay ay kasama ang Panginoon. This is His ministry. Hindi po sa akin. Hindi po sa amin.

And in church history prayer meetings, and prayer warriors began movements around the world. Ito ay tungkol sa pagppray kasama ang maraming tao. Walang problema mag pray mag isa, but in a corporate gathering of people na nagppray, alam niyo, there is so much power. I always value times of prayer kasama ang ibang kapwa mananampalataya. Dahil in one accord lahat to talk to God. In one accord lahat to be closer to God as a church as a body of Christ. Siguro sa mga cell groups natin, pag prayer time, we look forward to that. Personally, isa yun sa mga nillook forward ko dahil we can pray for each other. We can pray for the church, and someone prays for you as well. At dapat maniwala tayo sa power ng corporate praying. Let’s pray with each other. Sabi nga that the family that prays together, stays together…. The church that prays together, stays together.

Prayer glorifies God

Kung iisipin natin, prayer is our direct access to God. At sabi sa Bible that God came down to seek and save that which was lost. And here we are not praying to a God who, sa simula’t simula pa lang wanted everything to be personal between Him and man. Our salvation is personal, He works in our hearts in different and unique ways, he paves our lives in our own different unique way, he gave us different spiritual gifts, he molded us to respond to Him in different ways, He allowed us to worship Him through our different personalities. Our God is a personal God, at napapakita yun through prayer at sa pagppray natin we magnify Him more dahil walang Diyos na katulad niya. Yung ibang Diyos bago ka magpray, bago ka makalapit sa diyos nila, sisindi ka pa kandila, papatatak ka muna sa noo, luluhod ka muna, magbabayad ka muna, kakausapin mo muna yung isa pang makasasalanang tao para ilapit sa diyos yung mga panalangin mo. Pero key Hesus hindi. Lapit ka lang.

Heb 10:19-22

These are 7 reasons to pray. And we want God to move in our lives, sa buhay ng pamilya natin, sa trabaho natin, we should pray. Sabi ni DL Moody:

Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.

Dwight L. Moody

So mga kapatid the first step to reading the Bible is to read it. The first step to praying is to pray.

And I hope we can make it an important part of our day to study the Bible and pray. Kasama po yan sa ating paglagong espiritwal.

So in chapter 33, we read that the Word came to Jeremiah. And just from that verse, pwede na natin makita, that in relation to prayer, it starts from God. Prayer starts from God. Prayer cannot exist without God. Prayer cannot exist without a recognition of God. And this tells us na ang pagdarasal natin hindi talaga mababago ang kalooban ng Diyos, kundi ang ating attitude at buhay ang nababago sa ting pagdarasal. And what’s more is that when we pray, we recognize that God is the almighty God. Sa totoo lang, kaya tayo nagppray kasi napaka powerful ng Panginoon. At kaya tayo nakakapag pray kasi napaka powerful ng Panginoon natin.

Before even going to His point and our message this morning which is in verse 3, ang point ng Panginoon ay siya ang Diyos, and He can make things happen, he makes things work, he allows prayers to be answered, he allows for us to pray.

And today we will be getting our points from verse 3 which says….

Jer 33:3

Being invited by God

The Lord told Jeremiah in verse 3: Call to me! Halika! Tawagin mo ako. It is an invitation. It was an invitation to Jeremiah to call to God. And this invitation is the start of everything. Ito na yung simula ng pagpapahayag ng Panginoon ng restoration na gagawin niya which is in verses 6 to 9. Hindi siya nagsimula sa Prayer ni Jeremiah. Kundi nag simula ito sa invitation ng Diyos to “call to me”. Sabi ng Diyos, “hahayaan kitang tumawag sakin” at pag tumawag ka, I will answer. At sanga sanga na yon, then comes blessing, then comes restoration. All because God has invited Jeremiah.

The same thing sa atin ngayon. God has invited all of us to pray. God has invited all of us to believe. John 3:16>>>>

Jeremiah 33:3, the second part says “I will answer you”. So first, si Jeremiah was invited to call on God, at syempre an invitation should be answered, so kung sinagot ito ni Jeremiah at sya nga ay tumawag sa Panginoon, God will answer. In fact, sa passage natin, nag invite palang ang Panginoon pero may mga naghihintay nang mga pagpapala kay Jeremiah at sa mga Hebreo. So another privilege of prayer is being answered by God. At napaka importante talaga yung invitation ng Diyos at ang Act ni Jeremiah to call to God dahil kung wala lahat yon, there will be no restoration to the people.

At isa ito sa mga lagi tayong nacoconfuse. Dahil may mga kanta at mga teachings online, sa youtube and FB nowadays na ang labas ay kung hindi ka mag pray di sasagot ang Panginoon. May mga kanta nowadays na pinapalabas na ang Diyos ang nagrespond sa panalangin natin. Well in fact hindi! Nauna ang Panginoon. Sa totoo lang naghihintay lang siya lalo na kung anak ka niya. Pero in the Bible, if we respond to God through prayer, HE will indeed answer. And take note of that, IF WE RESPOND TO GOD THROUGH PRAYER….. And for our second point, may dalawa akong naisip na principles in prayer being answered by God. Una, Prayer is response to God. Again, we don’t pray and wait for God to work. Dahil God is already working kahit na hindi ka mag pray. Pero, we see then and again sa Bible that He waits for our response in prayer and then he blesses us abundantly. So kung ang panalangin natin ay response sa imbitastyon ng Panginoon, imbitasyon niya dahil He first loved us, He died for us while we were yet sinners, magiiba tingin mo sa prayer diba? Mas magppray ka! So we pray as a response to God.

Ps. 34:4>>>

At napakadami pang ganitong passages sa psalms. Lord I call on you. Lord help me. Lord save me from my enemies. Anong nangyari kay David? Because of his intimacy with the Lord through prayer, He was called a man after God’s own heart. He was changed. And sometimes, kung will ng Panginoon, He answers our prayers.

Now siguro nasagot mo na yung invitation ng Panginoon through salvation dati, pero ngayon marahil ang kailangan mo ay bumalik sa kanya and abide again by His word. Abide in Him. For those involved in the ministry, we spend so much time preparing for Sunday and for Cell groups and for events, but how is our time with God?

Ano ang kailangan mo gawin?

Abide in Him

Literally live within His Word. Kung may pinagpray kang matagal na hindi pinayagan ng Panginoon na mangyari, He has something better for you. Or maybe He’s teaching you something.

Kasi let’s get real. Hindi lahat ng prayer mo ay sasagutin ng Panginoon. Kahit gaano ka kalapit at ka-intimate sa kanya, He has a plan for you. And sa prayers natin maybe sasagutin niya, maybe hindi. But if we focus on God sa ating mga prayers at hindi sa mga gusto natin, we will be more open to what God wants for us rather than what we want for ourselves.

Being blessed by God

Sa same verse, in verse 3, third part, sabi ng Diyos, “I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Now another privilege of prayer is being blessed by God. Maaaring usual na nating naririnig dito yan. Pero Jeremiah 33:3 again it all starts with God’s invitation, Jeremiah’s calling of God, and God’s answer. Ito naisip ko–we want to pray for something, kasi we are searching for a specific answer from God na pwedeng sagutin niya, pwede ding hindi depende sa will niya kagaya ng nakita natin kanina. But here sa verse na ito, God said kay Jeremiah, call to me and then:

Bilang mga anak ng Diyos, we can come to our Father in heaven. At siya ay nakikinig sa kanyang mga anak. Kaya alam niyo, kung tingin natin hindi naririnig nga Panginoon ang mga panalangin natin, hindi siya ang problema. Kundi tayo. Our confidence comes from the fact that we are His children, and a good Father listens to His children like how God is.

And this is the principle: Prayer gives us direct access to God. And all we need to do is to respond gaya ng ginawa ni Jeremiah. It’s amazing how all these things about prayer ay maaaring mangyari by just recognizing and responding to his invitation. So we have direct access now to the Lord by the blood of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that:::

“…every person can now have access to God because Jesus’ death on the cross has opened the way. Such access is actually experienced by those who express personal trust in Jesus and rely on divine grace.”

So the passage says that we draw near. Why? Because we now have confidence dahil sa dugo ni Kristo. AT kaya sabi din ng writer ng Hebrews, na kapag lumapit ka, lumapit ka with your whole heart, lumapit ka ng sincere. And yes, sabi nga natin kanina that the reason for that confidence is the blood of Jesus that allowed us to have direct access to God. Pero what’s more ay yung dugo ni Kristo also allows us to be cleansed from our sins. Nung na-save tayo we were justified–pinawalang-sala tayo. But sa mga kasalanan natin araw-araw, we can still come to the Father in prayer when we confess our sins. So pwede tayong lumapit sa Diyos at hingiin na muli ay linisin niya tayo sa mga kasalanan natin.

The very fact that we have access to God’s attention and presence should concentrate the thoughts and elevate the heart.

-Timothy Keller

How much and how often we pray reflects our hunger for God. The best way to learn to pray is by praying.

How is your prayer life? We can go on and on, pero kung hindi natin nakikita importance ng prayer, this is all worthless. I hope and pray that today we are challenged by the Word of God through Jeremiah and the book of Hebrews. And I hope that all of seek God more in prayer.

How do we finish strong? How do we finish well? Meron bang konsepto ng success in the Christian life and our walk with God? And how do we go through our life para sigurado tayo that we finish strong?

In our passage, Paul gave us 2 very important things for him to finish well. Of course all by the grace of God. Paul speaks always in the context of an athlete. There is always a physical aspect in his analogies about the Christian life as he always compares the christian life to a race.

How is your race? Almost there? Haven’t started? So today we will focus on Philippians 3:13 and 14 where Paul has just 2 points concerning this.

Philippians 3:13 English Standard Version (ESV)

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

Forget the past

In Philippians chapter 3, Paul told his readers that they should have a goal in life. Before, he told them, that he has this other goal. He already has that reputation, the strength, the power, pero sabi niya in verse 7 that all of it was loss for the sake of Christ. Loss? Pano magiging loss yon e nasa tugatog siya ng tagumpay? Pano magiging loss yon e nasa kanya yung kapangyarihan, nasa kanya yung talino. Sabi niya sa verse 8….. It is all loss compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Paul was telling them, my past is nothing. My past accomplishments are nothing. Lalong lalo na yung Past sins niya nung nag pepersecute pa siya ng Christians. It is nothing. It is loss. Kaya in verse 13 sabi ni paul….

So stretch out and strain! Sa tulong ng Panginoon, ikaw talaga ang magpapaka-hirap towards your purpose. Hindi lalapit sayo ang purpose mo! You work and strain forward to it. At alam niyo, yun talaga ang konteksto nung sinabi ni Paul sa Phil. 4:13>>>>>> sabi ni Paul I can do all things through Christ. I can work towards that goal through Christ. I can be injured, pwede akong mapagod. Pero I will work towards that purpose through Christ who gives me strength.

Kaya si Paul towards the end of his life, nag throwback siya. At sabi niya sa 2tim 4:6-8>>>> He finished well. And someday, in the glory of heaven, we want to finish well also. Forget the past, strain forward. How is our walk with the Lord so far? Naka tapak pa rin ba sa past? Or nasa gitna tayo ng struggle in the present?

Maybe some times you need to slow down. Maybe some times you need to take a break. Maybe sometimes you need to go kasi ang init mo. Strike while the iron is hot. So we need to rely on God’s leading. Kasi if we go all out ng 42km sa isang marathon, mamatay ka. There are times that you need to go fast, last push. There are times you need to know the pace Kasi ang layo pa. You need endurance in the Christian life. So we need to know our pacing from God.

At yun ang ibig sabihin ni Paul he said He can do all things. We usually take it out of context, na we can do anything. No. We can endure the Christian life like Paul through Christ who strengthens us.

How is our walk with Christ? Nasaang stage ka na? Nakaka move on ka na ba? Or are you still weighed down by your past? If you want to let it go, that’s the first step. After that it is the constant struggle of living the Christian life through the help of Christ our strength.

Remember your goal is to grow in Christ

Lalong lalo na while we are still here on earth.

And as a church, I hope and pray that all of us will struggle together as we walk closer to Christ.

He was foreknown. Before the world began, He is alive, He is existent. Trying to simplify through diagram the passages of verse 20 and 21, I believe that it goes like this: He has appeared in these last times for the sake of the believers in God, so that your faith and hope are in God. Makes me ask, did they have their faith and hope in something or someone else before? He has appeared for you so that your faith and hope are in God. If He didn’t appear, it seems that their faith and hope will not be in God. But, since He appeared, until now we can say that God is real and that our faith and hope are in Him. Which can also be taken further into God’s manifestation of glory even in present times. Manifest doesn’t mean that He appears physically but that He is seen, manifest, through us because of our works in faith in Christ Jesus that other people see, and that we ourselves have seen as we become sensitive to the leading of God through the Holy Spirit and through His filling of us in times that we do our ministry that seems to be impossible to do in our own strength but then God allows us to accomplish with His strength manifested in us.

Now, this is the reason why our faith and hope are in Him. They are in Him because we have seen how He has worked in our lives, in our relationships, our finances, our health, our safety, our achievements. He has “appeared” in us. The more He “appears” in us, the more we have faith and hope in Him. Which leads me to conclude that even if we don’t physically see God, we have faith because of His manifestation in us.

How, then, can He be manifested in us? He does not manifest Himself to people He doesn’t know. It’s like seeing more and more a person’s friend in him if they are always together, or a couple who are almost identical in their mannerisms because they know each other so well and are very intimate. God’s manifestation in us will come as we continue to know Him, to be intimate with Him. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments. This is the beginning. He will reveal more of Himself to us, be made manifest in us, people will see, we will see, and the more we and others see Him in us, according to Peter, we will have more hope and faith in Him. It all begins with being intimate with God.

Our position will affect our condition. If we are sure about something, it will always affect how we behave. Eternal security is important with our intimacy with God, because like a son’s assurance of his father’s love to Him, (this has been my case when I was young) even if I don’t win my basketball games, even though I miss some notes in playing the piano during my recital, even though accidentally bumped the car, even though he gets angry, I am assured (and he does assure) that at the end of the day, he still loves me. For a son like me, the security of his love and acceptance of me no matter what I do is one of the greatest driving forces to live life. For sure he gets angry when I do foolish things, and it will be only natural for me to think again if he loves me or not, if I am still welcomed in the house or not, but as his character is, our relationship will never have an end.

As God’s children, that security we can only found in Him brings us intimacy with the Father in two ways:

Even if we prove ourselves to Him or not, He still is our father. We do not need to spend our whole lives trying to please Him by doing good works because when we believed Christ’s death and resurrection for the purchase of our sins, we were already made perfect in God’s eyes.

Hebrews 10:5-10 says:

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,

But a body You have prepared for Me;

6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.

7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come

(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)

To do Your will, O God.’”

8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He [a]said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By [b]this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Romans 5:1 says: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,.” Christ already did what we can never do: to perfectly please and appease God.

Because we are secured in His love and acceptance for us, we can spend our whole life in gratitude and worship as we become closer and closer to God who has given us this everlasting love through our relationship with Him. Our gratitude in worship or living our life for Him brings us to a more intimate knowledge of who God is. “…since we have confidence to enter the holy place…and since we have a great high priest…let us draw near with a sincere heart…let us hold fast the confession of our hope…for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:19-23)

So papa, thank you for the security of love you have given the family. I am not perfect but I think you still see all of us as wonderful blessings from God. Thank you and I love you.

Like this:

I just want to use this post to thank God for all the things that he has done and taught me this year also as I look forward for the coming new year. I’m gonna try to attempt to do a monthly looking back starting

January
-started the year with a very great project with a jazz pianist
-I had dengue that month til February
-was also mentally and spiritually preparing for the launch of our church album for February

February
-was still recovering from dengue
-dengue left me with Vertigo which was so dreadful for me. The 2 sundays after i got home from the hospital was very unforgettable because i passed out those 2 sundays after morning rehearsals for church.
-a big blessing would be the launch of the album which i produced. Everyone loved it and the Music during the launch was the best or church music ministry has done so far

March –March to April were the most painful months i have had this year. I rejected from having a scholarship that would allow me to have my graduate studies in composition in Germany. I was given full assurance that i would have it so i actually never planned for anything else when i started the year. It was indeed painful but God has other plans that i did not know during that point. I felt like my whole world shattered in front of me since almost everyone was expecting that i leave at the middle of the year (or at least that’s how i felt).

April
-my April will much be the same as my March until the last week.
-was hired to a piano studio to teach voice and piano.
-during the last week of that month, i received an email and a text message asking if i would like to work in de la Salle- College of st. Benilde which is a very prominent school, and in UP college of music extension program. Both of these are my dream work places aside from Febias College of Bible where i was teaching since last year.

May –i got all those jobs. My self esteem was boosted again.

June
-shuffling 4 jobs and a couple of projects at the side ain’t easy. But it certainly is a blessing.
-my friends start teasing me of getting married with my girlfriend because of all the work i have

July
-was surprised to receive an email inviting me to perform in Malaysia.

August
-probably the busiest month of my year.
-international silent film festival
-and a couple more events that needed some new works. This month i pushed myself to the limit and wrote 1 piece of new music a week.

September
-my birthday month
-spill over of work from August

October
-went to Malaysia for the sound bridge music festival
-after the last concert, went straight home for ara’s special project with my piece also to be performed. That weekend was one for the books. No sleep, but had 2 works premiered on just one weekend.
-ara graduated with honors. Super proud of her.

November
-started with maybe my biggest project ever. I had to do arrangements for a theatre production on December. That’s 16 songs in 3 weeks.

December
-i joined a jingle writing contest for the Philippine dental association, and surprisingly won the thing with a jingle i did in just 6 hours (all arrangement and recording and mixing and all)
-blessed to have a lot of work which made it a very merry Christmas for me. Hehe

Next year, great things are already lined up for me. I am excited, yet anxious of those things that i have no assurance of. But looking back this year, i think i dont have any reason to be afraid of the coming year. He has it all planned out already 🙂